Thursday, May 5, 2011

Birthday Post: Alice Faye and Tyrone Power


Happy Birthday, Tyrone Power and Alice Faye (May 5)

I'm lucky enough to share my birthday with not one but two major stars. Tyrone Power was born May 5, 1914 in Cincinnati, Ohio and Alice Faye (Alice Leppert in real life), on May 5, 1915 in New York City. Even more lucky for me, my fellow 5-5ers made two movies together: In Old Chicago and Alexander's Ragtime Band. So to celebrate this year, I'm treating myself to a viewing of In Old Chicago, the review of which I'll post up here. Alexander and I have a date for next year.

It's strangely fitting that Alice Faye and Tyrone Power shared a birthday. They both got their start at Twentieth Century Fox, under the watchful eye of Darryl F. Zanuck. Twentieth Century Fox was founded in 1935, the result of a merger between the teetering Fox Film Corporation and the talented upstart Twentieth Century Pictures. Fox had a chain of movie theaters but little else. Twentieth Century was only a few years old, but it had a few prestige hits and the ambitions of Darryl F. Zanuck and Joseph Schenck (formerly the head of United Artists). So, Twentieth Century Fox was born. Both Faye and Power would grow up along with their studio. When they were first paired together for In Old Chicago, Twentieth Century Fox was barely two years old. Together, they were two of Fox's biggest stars. And they liked each other, too.


Tyrone Power and Alice Faye on the set of In Old Chicago


Talking with director Henry King


Alice Faye in her early days as a Harlow look-alike
As Fox's leading lady
In color
Tyrone Power
With Henry Fonda on the set of  Jesse James
Movie still from Brigham Young
Tyrone  Power, Annabella, and Alice Faye
 

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